If you don't typically cook your meals at home, chances are more of your paycheck is going to take-out and restaurant meals than you even realize.  This really adds up.  You may also have the best intentions of cooking but because of poor planning or lack of energy or being too hungry when it comes time to cook, you break down and order out and by the end of the week most of the food you had planned to cook during the week ends up in the trash. 

 In my programs I help others by teaching them how to plan meals and shop effectively, and how to cook delicious meals at home with fresh, whole ingredients.   You will save money and have more control over what is going into your food, and into your body. It's amazing the changes I see in my client's lives when cooking is reintegrated into their routines.

Top Five Reasons to Cook at Home:
 
-Add up a typical week's expenses for meals and snacks bought out.  If you buy 1-2 meals  out per day plus a coffee or other snacks, it could easily be costing you over $25 per day-that's over $175/week.

-Cook once, eat twice. In my programs, I recommend whole-food meals that are as simple to prepare as they are delicious and you will most likely be able to eat it more than once.  For example, if you cook a big pot of brown rice, you can make a stir fry and then use the unused portion for a breakfast porridge or a sweet treat such as rice pudding.

-Cooking is healing.  Chopping vegetables, measuring, stirring and tending to food with care can be meditative and relaxing.  Taking the time to cook for yourself and your family is deeply nourishing for both body and spirit.

 -You know what exactly is going into your food.  As you become more aware of what you are eating and feeding as fuel to your body and cells, the quality of this fuel becomes very important.  For instance, when eating out, chances are the quality of cooking oils is questionable, and most likely the produce or meats are not organic unless specifically stated.

-Bonding at home over meals makes families and relationships stronger.  With most of the day spent outside the home and families separated for work and school, eating a home cooked meal, conversing and talking about your day, laughing, looking at each other and listening is a way to reconnect that most of us are literally starved for.  Also, in the comfort of home, we are able to relax more, making digestion more efficient.     

Feeling out of balance?

Yin and Yang qualities are based on the Chinese philosophy of opposites which can describe food and lifestyle choices.  Some say it can be an oversimplified way of thinking, and on the other hand it can be said that the simplicity allows one to be able to easily see the imbalance in a person being diet, lifestyle or relationship.  We all have some of each quality but usually we are one more than the other.  In terms of diet, it can be a way to breakdown cravings: for example, if you eat too many raw foods (Yin), you may crave cooked or over cooked (Yang) foods to compensate for the imbalance.  If you eat a lot of salty food (Yang) you may have strong craving for sweets (Yin).

Some qualities governing Yin include:
Cool, dark, feminine
Energetic: upward energy, expansive 
Emotion/Mind: sensitive, spacey, scattered, happy
Food: raw, alcohol, sugar, baked goods, candy, soda, fruit

Qualities governing Yang include:
Hot, light, masculine
Energetic: contractive energy, inward
Emotion/Mind: anger, aggression, grounded, focused, strong
Food: cooked, meat, salty, eggs, chicken, beef, fried food

The traditional American diet is very Yang.  We are an aggressive, fast-food nation that has grown up most recently (as of the late 60's) as children of highly processed, convenience foods, eating meat twice or more a day, eggs for breakfast and salty snacks in between.  Then we wonder why we are having cravings for sugary sodas, candy bars, ice cream and pastries.  The body has a way to try to fix the imbalance-crave the food that is the opposite!

Recommended reading:
The book Food & Healing by Annemarie Colbin

While husking an ear of organic corn I found a nice, juicy worm munching away at his dinner (and mine).  I don't mind sharing my food with insects, and I feel even better if they are alive when I find them as this is proof that my food has not been sprayed with a chemical that kills.

This is food I feel good about giving to my family, and makes me think twice when I have the choice between going with organic or conventionally grown produce. 

But what to do when access to organic is not possible or beyond budget?

The Organic Center has just released a list of conventionally grown produce with the most pesticide exposure so you can feel comfortable picking conventionally grown fruits and vegetables with the least amount of harmful chemical residues, and stay away from the ones with the most. 

The "ORGANIC ESSENTIALS" POCKET GUIDE FOR MINIMIZING PESTICIDE DIETARY RISKS" can be downloaded for free at www.organic-center.org

I love to sing.  I had actually forgotten how much I love to sing until my son was born-now I sing daily.  I sing in the car with the radio, while cooking, while dancing and make up songs with my son.  He loves to sing too, and a recent favorite of his is now "Walking on the Moon" by the Police.  I wouldn't say I have the worst voice, but I'm no Alecia Keys and some days he's had enough and it's "stop singing Mommy!"  There are some days though that I don't sing as much for whatever reason, and I have noticed there is a marked difference in my mood. 

The vibrations that travel through the body through singing can release blocked energy and relieve tension, especially in the chest area, where tonal vibrations are most intense.  This is due in part to the vibrations themselves which can travel through muscle, bone, tissue and organs and act as a massage of sorts and also through the deep diaphragmatic breathing that is activated through singing. 

Even if you think you don't have perfect pitch or an ear for music, try singing.  And if you really don't want to sing, listen.  There are just as many healthful benefits to listening to your favorite music.  And who knows, maybe you'll even want to get up and dance!

I recently posted about ways to stop unwanted junk mail. Lo and behold, my letter to remove myself from lists generated by the Direct Marketing Association was returned to me- "Unable to Forward"  Hmmm. 

Here is the updated address and instructions to remove yourself from lists for 5 years.

Start by sending a postcard or letter to:
 Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, PO Box 643, Carmel, NY 15012-0643

Include your complete name, address, zip code and a request to "activate the preference service". For up to five years, this will stop mail from all member organizations that you have not specifically ordered products from. 

Spring has sprung and so have the most tender, delicious and nutritious greens! There is no better time than now to start adding more fresh vegetables and greens to your diet.  Visit your local farmer's market for the best and freshest selection or your local market that carries a line of organics.  Greens renew and refresh our bodies, and are packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous and zinc as well as contain vitamins A, C, E and K.  Did I also mention they are loaded with fiber, folic acid and micronutrients and phytochemicals necessary for a healthy immune system, improving liver, gallbladder and kidney function?  They also play a part in fighting depression, clearing congestion, improving circulation and keeping your skin clear and radiant.  They fight inflammation in the body by creating a balanced PH in your intestinal tract.  Need I say more?

Here is a list of delicious greens to add to your repertoire. 

-kale (most fiber of all greens!)
-collard greens
-swiss chard
-mustard greens
-arugula (my favorite)
-dandelion greens (bitter green, great for detoxifying)
-broccoli rabe
-watercress
-beet greens
-bok choy
-nappa cabbage
-spinach
-broccoli
-baby romaine

Here is a recipe to get you started... ps kids love it!

simple saute/steamed broccoli with garlic & olive oil

1 bunch broccoli, chopped, with stems if desired
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic crushed or sliced
pinch of salt

1. warm oil in pan on medium heat with garlic until garlic is aromatic about 2-3 minutes.
2.  add chopped broccoli florets and (top parts of stems if desired, they are sweet!) stir fry for a few minutes
3.  Add a splash of water and pinch of salt, cover and let steam for 4 minutes.

ENJOY!




 

Is junk mail taking over your office and recycling bin? Have you somehow gotten on every mailing list known to man? Clutter plays a major part in draining our energy, at home and at work.  It can also play a part in attributing to chronic stress and illness if it is pushed aside, piling up and seemingly non-stop and out of control in your environment.  So, in honor of Earth Day this year I thought I'd do a post about how to get rid of junk mail (for good) and help save a forest-and help your home or office (and you) get a little bit healthier in the process.  

If you live in New York state, here's how to stop the insanity and save many trees!

Write to:
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008

Ask to be taken off their mailing lists.  Provide them with all the variations of your name you get junk mail. This can take a few months, but it's well worth the few minutes spent writing and mailing the letter. 

You can also:
-Contact the catalogs and companies that send you unwanted mail and tell them to take you off their mailing lists and any affiliated lists-most companies have email contacts available on their website, which is a great way to go paperless, and it's faster.

-If you belong to a book club or subscribe to publications, contact them and tell them not to sell your name to other companies.  *Hint: If you have many subscriptions, this can be a daunting task so just do one at a time!

-It may seem obvious but be careful what you sign up for and who you give your information out to.


To Reduce Unwanted Pre-Approved Credit-Card Offers:

Simply throwing these in the trash or recycling bin is one of the main ways for "dumpster divers" to get a hold of your personal information and steal your identity.  Make sure you shred any pre-approval letters before tossing and take your name off the credit bureaus' lists by doing the following:

Call: Experian 1-800-353-0809 or Trans Union 1-888-567-8688

You will need to provide personal information such as your social security number to confirm you identity A(which they will already have).  You can also request a form  which will permanently delete you from their mailing lists.

If you do not live in New York, you can contact your state's department of Environmental conservation or protection for more information about how to reduce your unwanted junk mail.

While I was prone to sore throats as a child, my sister fell ill to ear infections frequently, and usually at the most inopportune times.  I remember trips to the emergency room on Christmas Eve, then again on New Year's Eve, my sister tugging at her ears and screaming all the way to and from.  Following in this tradition, my son has a middle ear infection in both ears, one perforated, just in time for Easter!  He is miserable.  It took two trips to the pediatrician to get the right antibiotic to do the trick.  I did feel proud though when his Dr. couldn't believe that at the age of almost 3, he has never been on antibiotics or had any type of ear infection.  I attribute his good fortune to his lengthened breastfeeding (which has just recently waned) and good nutrition.

Though he is on antibiotics now for the infection, I have been questioning it's effectiveness as a lot of strains of bacteria are becoming antibiotic resistant, partly from over prescribing.  In fact, took two different antibiotics to finally kick the bacteria out of my son's ears. 

While it has been estimated that 75 percent of all children by the age of three will get some type of ear infection, there may be ways to cut down on the chances of your child getting ear infections, especially those that are re-occurring and may cause permanent damage to the ears.

My tips include:

-Breastfeeding your child for as long as possible.  Studies have shown that breastfeeding provides
your child with antibodies that help prevent infection and boost immunity.  Breastfeeding a toddler has its challenges but also its benefits when you notice that your child seems to get sick a lot less than non-breastfed peers.

-Avoid pacifiers, whose sucking action (which is different than sucking on a human nipple) has been linked to more ear infections

-If your baby is bottle-fed and has frequent ear infections, the culprit may be the milk derived formula.  You can switch over to a soy milk or rice milk based formula

-Cut back on the milk products in general (linked to excess mucous production) and sugars-especially any candy, simple carbohydrates, baked goods (cookies, bagels, cakes, etc.) and too much fruit juices which can lower immune response

-Give your child a pro-biotic supplement (the same good bacteria found in yogurt, just stronger) -especially if he/she is frequently on antibiotics.  These can be easily added to food and drink without notice. 

Along the lines of pro-biotics, the website from the renowned Dr. Greene (www.drgreeene.org) recently posted this breaking news on preventing ear infections using beneficial bacteria:

"Researchers in Sweden identified a group of 108 ear-infection prone children, and gave half of them a nasal spray containing a live culture of beneficial bacteria. The others received a placebo nasal spray. Each received two 10-day courses. The results were published in the March 2001 British Medical Journal At the end of 3 months, nearly twice as many of the children in the beneficial bacteria group were healthy and ear infection free!"

This is great news and makes a whole lot of sense to me in a time when antibiotics are showing to be less and less effective against mutating strains of bacteria that have found a way to beat our best lines of defense.

Just before I was about to toss all of my son's plastic sippy cups in the trash, I decided to do a little digging to see just how toxic the ones he has really are.  I started contacting some of the major brands-Gerber, Playtex, Avent, etc.

Continue reading More On BPA and Sippy Cups-Which Ones to Avoid.

Despite some wacky warmer weather we've been having here in New York this month, as a recent snow storm just proved, winter is still in full effect.  The nights are still chilly and our house is brrrrr cold.  My son kicks off blankets in his sleep and wakes up with hands and feet like little icicles. We used to dress him in the typical polyester footed sleepers until we realized that doing so was possibly exposing him to dangerous flame retardants, PBDE's (polybrominated diphenyl ethers known to cause thyroid problems in lab rats and is linked to neurological damage) used to protect children from catching on fire. Unfortunately, initially intended as an precautionary additive to consumer products such as sofas, textiles, clothing and electronics to make us all safer, these dangerous chemicals are now in most of our bodies at alarmingly high levels, and with a structural similarity to PCB's (Polychlorinated Biphenyls banned in the USA in 1977 but still present in the environment) which are known to have neurotoxic and carcinogenic effects.   

This is an issue that makes my head spin. 

Continue reading PCBE's and Finding Non-Flame Retardant Children's Sleepwear.